MEMENTOS
2017

Mementos: Artists’ Souvenirs, Artefacts, and other Curiosities, ArtBrussels
Curators : Jens Hoffmann, Piper Marshall

[…] The collection of souvenirs, artefacts and objects with sentimental attachments is culturally marked, cognitively processed, and most often not rational. Many times we keep objects for personal reasons, for their gauge of our identity formation, for their marking of passed time, or for their status in relationship to a period in life. Take for instance a family heirloom, say a pocket watch gifted to us by our grandfather or for instance a starfish we found on a beach during a holiday which we keep on our desk, or even perhaps an old toy which is passed from kin to kin. Arguably, most of these objects have no retail value, but they hold within them something else. What is the history of this object? How does its use change with age? What does this object mean to us? What happens when it reaches the end of its usefulness? Is this object meant to be showcased publicly or is it clutched privately far from view? […]
Jens Hoffmann & Piper Marshall